The Golden Basket is a children's novel written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans.
It tells the story of a family's visit to Bruges and marks the first appearance of the author's best-known character, Madeline.
[2] In the novel, two sisters, Celeste and Melisande, stay at the Golden Basket hotel in Bruges with their father, Horatio Coggeshall of London.
They befriend Jan, the innkeeper's son, and encounter several of the other guests.
On a visit to Bruges cathedral with Jan, they meet a dozen little schoolgirls, including Madeline.